The United Nations refugee agency announced
Monday that its top honour will go to the world body's bomb disposal experts
for their work in southern Lebanon clearing munitions which have threatened the
lives of civilians since the 2006 conflict with Israel.
The Nansen Refugee Award will be given to the UN Mine Action Coordination
Centre of South Lebanon for its efforts to rid the region of cluster munitions
and other dangerous remnants of war to allow the safe return of civilians in
the area.
"Through their painstaking work and devotion, the team has created the
conditions for a safe and dignified return home for almost one million
displaced Lebanese," said António Guterres, the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees.
Christopher Clark, who heads the mine clearing operation in Lebanon, will receive the award on behalf of the centre's staff and 1,000 deminers at a ceremony in Geneva on 6 October, along with a cheque for 100,000 dollars to donate to a cause of their
choice.
"I congratulate my colleagues in southern Lebanon for their impressive
achievement," said Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations
Alain LeRoy, whose department oversees the work of the centre.
"Their actions have benefited so many people - not only the returning
refugees and internally displace persons (IDPs), but also the humanitarian
relief workers and our peacekeepers," he added.
The award is named after Nobel Peace Laureate Fridtjof Nansen, who served as
the first High Commissioner for Refugees. Previous recipients of the honour
include Eleanor Roosevelt, King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Queen Juliana of the
Netherlands.
UN efforts to rid Lebanon of cluster bombs have been under way since the 33-day
war between Israel and Hezbollah ended on August 17, 2006. Earlier estimates
from UN experts had suggested a total of about 100 cluster bomb sites.
Since the war ended in 2006, 27 civilians have been killed and 234 wounded by
unexploded ordnance, mostly cluster munitions, while 13 bomb disposal experts
have been killed and 39 wounded, dpa
reported.